


Spellbound

by porcelainepeony, tiraskeeperofgenesis



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Collaboration, Ficlet, M/M, ygoshipolympics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-06
Updated: 2015-06-06
Packaged: 2018-04-03 02:11:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4082707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/porcelainepeony/pseuds/porcelainepeony, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiraskeeperofgenesis/pseuds/tiraskeeperofgenesis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sawatari/Yuuya AU in which Shingo lands himself in the hospital and has a rowdy next door neighbor. Queue Yuuya putting a spell on Shingo and Shingo being... well, being himself. Collab with Blaze. Written for the YGOshipolympics!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spellbound

“Ow,” Shingo complained, frowning when the doctor pressed a gentle hand against his ribcage. It had been four hours since Shingo had arrived at the hospital, and just then were the doctors and nurses attending to his fractured rib. Apparently, being the son of the mayor didn’t warrant any rush. Besides being in horrible pain, Shingo was moody from the whole ordeal. “I won’t die, right?”

The doctor assured Shingo that his life wasn’t in any danger. Besides the ugly bruise on Shingo’s cheek and his fractured rib, he was doing much better than one of the boys who had been unlucky enough to be the victim of Shingo’s friends’ fistfight. Shingo maintained his innocence when asked about what had happened—Shingo wanted to _borrow_ an expensive collector’s card from a boy at his school, but what he didn’t know was that the boy had an older brother who was three times Shingo’s size. Never having been in a fistfight before, Shingo ended up on the floor and in pain before Kakimoto, Yamabe, and Ootomo intervened. The other three had escaped fairly uninjured. Shingo figured he deserved the pain he was in for not researching from whom he was borrowing cards. Shingo was also certain the doctor agreed, for the man felt no pity when Shingo explained his side of the story.

“Does this mean I can leave?”

“Shingo, your father insists you at least stay overnight, and, quite frankly, I agree. The fracture might not seem dangerous, but the fracture is deep, and if your rib breaks, the pain will double.”

Shingo didn’t like the sound of his current pain doubling. It hurt enough to breathe. But he was the type who didn’t like to sit still. “Can I invite friends over?”

The doctor shook his head as one of the nurses helped Shingo into a hospital nightgown and then helped him recline in bed. “Stay put. The nurse will be back with some medication to help alleviate the pain.”

And just like that, Shingo was alone in the room once more. He pouted, completely and utterly bored and quite lonely. But something good could come from his hospital visit. “I wonder how many days I could skip school for?” Shingo grinned and planned what kind of act he would put on for the doctor.

xxx

The medication the nurse had brought Shingo definitely helped alleviate the pain. There was still a painful jab when he breathed, but it was tolerable. What wasn’t tolerable, however, was the laughter and chatter coming from the room beside his. Shingo was blessed with not having to deal with any hospital roommate, but he was less fortunate about having a quiet neighbor. Whoever was next door was either talking on the phone—was that even allowed at such late hours?—or had an imaginary friend. At first, Shingo figured the rowdy patient would fall silent after a couple of hours of whatever the hell he was doing, but it was midnight, and Shingo was in pain, moody, and ridiculously sleepy.

Even though the nurse had told Shingo to take it easy, Shingo managed to roll himself out of bed and walk to the room next door. His hospital visit was supposed to be his time to relax—at least that was what he told himself after he realized he could use his injury to his advantage—so no one was going to take away his much wanted beauty sleep.

Without any regard to whoever was inside the room, Shingo opened the door and waltzed inside, eyes narrowed. “What the hell do you think you’re—”

“Hey, I’m going to have to reshoot that scene, ya know.”

The disappointment that laced those words made Shingo’s own words falter. “Reshoot?” Shingo raised a brow, completely confused by what he saw. The room was dim, but there were two small lamps on either side of the boy who sat in the middle of the bed. Said boy, who was wearing a ridiculous looking set of goggles along with a top hat and a bright red coat over his hospital nightgown, was facing a laptop that had what appeared to be a webcam standing on the top. 

“You’re recording yourself?”

The boy sighed, reached forward, and pressed a key on his laptop. “Yeah, I am, and you just ruined that last shot,” he said with a big frown. “So if you don’t mind, just close the door behind you.”

Shingo was offended. First, this boy spent the last four hours laughing up a storm and keeping Shingo up, and now he was telling him what to do. Granted, Shingo had no business going into a stranger’s room, and he could have easily called the nurse to get the boy to quiet down, but no one told Shingo what to do, especially some kid dressed like _that_. 

“What the hell are you even recording?” Shingo’s tone changed. When he had first walked in, he was tired and grumpy. But now he was challenging and taunting, for he was beginning to see what was going on in the room. Besides the badly dressed performer in the bed, there were playing cards and marbles and handkerchiefs littered on the bed and floor. “Don’t tell me you’re some kind of magician.” Shingo chuckled, wincing at the slight pain in his chest, but that didn’t stop him from sauntering closer to the boy in bed.

“I’m an entertainer,” Yuuya corrected, looking in Shingo’s general direction, but not really paying him any mind. “Look, I’ve got to shoot this last scene, so just leave. You got the wrong room anyway. I don’t know you.”

“An entertainer, sure,” Shingo teased, ignoring what the boy had just said. Instead, he stopped right beside the boy’s bed, picked up a card, and snorted. “Magic tricks are all fake.”

“No, they’re not.”

“Does this little magician really think he has what it takes to entertain people?”

“The name’s Yuuya, and yeah, I do.” Yuuya grinned, hit another key on his laptop, and showed Shingo the screen. “I was recording a trick for my YouTube channel. Check it out. I have over one million subscribers.”

A pang of jealousy ran through Shingo’s body. How the hell does some kid dressed like a color-blind clown have a YouTube channel with that many subscribers? “No way. You can’t be that good,” he blurted, his plan to bully Yuuya completely falling apart. “Show me.”

“Huh?” Yuuya pushed his laptop back to the center of the bed and frowned at Shingo. “Show you what?”

“A trick. Show me one of your stupid little tricks.”

Now it was Yuuya’s turn to be offended. All the tricks he knew he had learned from his father. And it was his father who helped Yuuya master not only the magic tricks but also the art of being a performer. “Fine.”

Shingo smirked and swiftly ran an arm over Yuuya’s bed so that the majority of the junk resting on the covers fell to the ground.

Yuuya response was a grin, not needing the supplies on the bed for what he was about to do. Instead, he stood from the bed, pushing Shingo back a good two feet before he rolled up his sleeves. “Keep you eyes on my hands, good sir.”

“Sawatari Shingo,” Shingo corrected.

“Right. Keep your eyes on my hands, mister Sawatari.”

Shingo did just that, overanalyzing Yuuya’s hands, making sure he didn’t have something hidden anywhere. Even with Yuuya’s sleeves rolled up, Shingo didn’t trust the over-excited redhead.

“What’s your favorite color?”

“What?”

Yuuya sighed and repeated. “What’s your favorite color?”

“Green,” Shingo answered, a little confused as to where this trick was going.

“Pick a number between one and five.”

“What’s the point in all of this?”

“Sawatari, just do it.”

Shingo shrugged. “Four.”

With a swift turn of his hands, two green marbles appeared in each of Yuuya’s palms. “Tada!”

“No way,” Shingo exclaimed, grabbing Yuuya’s wrists, making him drop the marbles onto the ground. He looked on either side of Yuuya’s hands before replying with a “do that again. Two reds this time.”

Yuuya laughed and did as he was told. After pulling his hands away from Shingo, Yuuya moved his hands and two red marbles appeared.

“Three blues.”

“Sawatari.”

“Hah! Can’t do it, can you?”

In a second, three blue marbles rested on Yuuya’s palms.

“One pink.”

“You’re impressed, aren’t you?”

Shingo crossed his arms and smiled. “Maybe. But only if you can make a pink marble ap—”  
Yuuya held the pink marble in front of Shingo’s face. Shingo would have grabbed that marble and tossed it at Yuuya’s face just five minutes ago, but he was honestly fascinated. Skeptical, but fascinated. 

“Show me.”

“Another trick?”

“No, tell me how you do it.”

“You _are_ impressed!” Yuuya cheered and jumped back in bed. “Sorry, but I can’t reveal my secrets. Plus, I need to finish this shoot. Maybe some other time.”

Shingo felt rejected, but not one to take no for an answer—not entirely anyway—he pointed at Yuuya and said with a big smile, “Tomorrow. I’ll be back tomorrow. But keep it down, or you’ll be sorry.”

“Deal,” Yuuya replied, laughing a little as he reset his video.

Yuuya’s laugh echoed into the hallway and lingered, following Shingo back to his own room. His chest hurt, probably from trying really hard not to laugh from excitement, but he couldn’t help it. Seeing those magic tricks reminded him of when his papa used to sit in his office to do work. To keep Shingo entertained, he would let Shingo watch all sorts of acrobats, performers, and magicians entertain the crowds. Shingo loved them all. He loved them so much that, instead of going to sleep, he stayed up listening to Yuuya’s chatter and laughter until it slowly lulled him to slumber.

xxx

The next morning, Shingo was really feeling the effects of not sleeping much. He was a bit groggy. His head would've hurt more, but the painkillers probably took care of that.

As the nurse came in to check on him, he gave her the most pathetic look he could muster. Though, at this point, it wasn't too hard to look miserable after staying up listening to a certain entertainer next door for half the night. After taking one look at the sleep deprived boy, the nurse told him she'd talk to the doctor about keeping him a few more days. As she made her exit, a triumphant look crossed his face.

He quickly remembered his conversation with the oddly dressed boy in the room next door. Today, he would finally learn how to do that trick. Since no one would probably check up on him for a while, he decided to visit Yuuya and hold him to his statement from last night.

Shingo slipped out of bed and skillfully snuck out of the room. Then, he poked his head through the door next to his and found Yuuya lying in his bed, no one else in the room. He tried to slowly open the door, but the redhead's face turned in his direction. He cursed the squeaky, old door. Realizing he was noticed, Shingo stormed into the room as if he were mad, though he just wanted to appear more intimidating to the redhead.

"Yuuya, you are telling me how you did that trick whether you like it or not!" Shingo deserved to learn a trick after losing precious sleep because of it. Yuuya’s reply was a quiet laugh at Shingo’s antics. For a moment, Shingo was entranced by Yuuya’s nice laugh and almost found himself wanting to hear more of it. He tried to act angry at this, but his voice betrayed him a bit. "What are you laughing at..."

"Nothing, Sawatari." Yuuya had stopped laughing, but continued to smile. Shingo didn't really accept this answer. Before he could protest further, however, he saw Yuuya go through a bag to find something. He pulled out various objects. In the pile, Shingo spotted the very same marbles the redhead used in the trick from last night. They both sat down, expecting hours to pass before they got anywhere with it.

xxx

It only took Shingo about 20 minutes to get the hang of the trick. Shingo caught on far more quickly than the redhead expected. The taller boy moved in front of Yuuya, looking very proud of himself. Or at least more so than usual.

"Pick a color and a number now, Yuuya!"

"Acting like an expert already, Sawatari?"

"Just pick already!"

"Okay, okay. Three red, then."

Just as Yuuya had done before, Shingo made the red marbles appear in his hand. He tossed an extra off to the side, hoping the redhead wouldn't take notice. Of course, this made Yuuya quietly laugh at him. Before Shingo could protest, a man stood at the door clearing his throat.

"Yuuya, we're going to have to run some more tests before tomorrow, so I'm going to have to ask your friend to leave now." Shingo didn't miss the dark look that crossed the redhead's face. This made him wonder what Yuuya was even in here for. It became very clear to Shingo that whatever was wrong with him was something really serious. 

Yuuya led Shingo to the door. "I'll see you later, okay?" Then, Yuuya gently pushed him out the door. Did he just get kicked out? Since he didn't want to make a scene, Shingo settled for frowning at him before the door was closed. He would just come back later tonight to get some answers from the redhead. 

With one last glance toward the closed door, Shingo left without a word.

xxx

Once Shingo was sure visiting hours were over, once again he made his way into Yuuya's room. He _had_ to know more about Yuuya and why he was there. The door once again creaked as he opened it, most likely revealing his presence. Yuuya's head turned to him almost instantly. The redhead seemed to freeze in place until Shingo strode toward the bed.

"Sawatari? Isn't it kind of late now?" Even while asking that, Yuuya was smiling at him. That smile almost made Shingo forget why he was there.

"So what if it is late? I just wanted to come here." Shingo tried to act intimidating, but it seemed to have no effect on the redhead. Though he didn't really _want_ Yuuya to be intimidated anyway.

Shingo made a movement to sit down next to Yuuya, but before he could make himself comfortable, Yuuya pulled him into a tight hug. Shingo couldn't react as the redhead buried his face into his shoulder. The sharp intake of air did not go unnoticed as Yuuya finally let go after what seemed to be forever. However, he clearly wasn't done as Yuuya placed his head on Shingo's shoulder and began to speak.

"Thanks." Shingo gave him a bewildered look. He didn't know what the redhead could possibly be _thanking_ him for. After all, he met him only a day ago. It just didn't make sense to Shingo. "You know... for spending time with me," Yuuya added. It seemed as if he wanted to say more, but Shingo wasn't going to push it.

"Well, it is an honor for someone like you to be allowed in my presence. So you _should_ feel grateful."

"But can the great Sawatari do this?"

In an instant, a yellow flower was in Yuuya's hand. Just as he had before, Shingo found himself in awe. He simply stood in silence as the redhead placed the flower into his hand. He glanced toward Yuuya, clearly interested.

"Do it again."

"A little eager, are we?"

"Of course not… I just don't want to be outdone by you."

Yuuya just laughed as he pulled out a red flower this time. He took Shingo over to his bag and began to show him the steps to doing the trick. They spent hours working together on it, Shingo doing his best to get it right. Soon, he fell asleep next to Yuuya, his questions left unanswered. Both boys were left curled up together with some flowers lying around them.

xxx

For a second morning in a row, the nurses and doctor that came into Yuuya’s room had to usher Shingo back to his own room. Because he had fallen asleep so late, being woken at seven in the morning rendered Shingo useless. He was practically in a trance when he was led to his room, but, before he left, he did manage to glance at Yuuya who shot him a smile and waved at him.

Right, Shingo had a goal. He was meaning to figure out what was wrong with Yuuya in the first place. Yuuya was sneaky, Shingo would give him that much. Shingo had completely forgotten about revealing Yuuya’s reason for being in the hospital. But Shingo was sneakier than Yuuya. Years of pretending to be asleep until no one was in the kitchen and sneaking into the fridge for an extra slice of dessert had taught Shingo well.

After giving his cheeks a light slap, Shingo sat up from his bed and made sure no one was in his room. There was some pain in his chest, but nothing unbearable. The painkillers from the night before were probably still working, and if Shingo timed everything perfectly, he would be in his room before the nurse. With an accomplished smile, he rolled out of bed, left his room, and walked up to Yuuya’s. The door was slightly ajar. Besides Yuuya, there were two nurses and a doctor inside. Shingo pressed his ear as close to the door without giving away that he was eavesdropping and listened.

“You need to rest your eyesight, Yuuya,” the doctor reprimanded, but Yuuya just laughed sheepishly and tried to explain to the doctor that he was sleeping well enough. The doctor sighed, but a small smile was on his face. “Let’s take those off and have a look at your eyes.”

Shingo’s heart was racing. Yuuya’s eyes? What the hell did that mean? Tired of only listening, Shingo attempted to peer through the small crack in the door and see exactly what was going on. However, all he could see was the doctor removing Yuuya’s goggles and tilting his face back. Maybe it was some sort of infection, Shingo told himself. Yuuya didn’t actually seem sick, so he concluded that it couldn’t be anything worse.

“The operation is tomorrow at noon, so, please, get some rest. Eyes are delicate.”

“Yes, I will get some rest,” Yuuya promised.

The doctor said something else, but it was lost to Shingo when he noticed that the nurse was approaching the door. Shingo gasped softly and quickly ran to his room. It was all a bad idea, really, for Shingo felt guilty for not getting an answer from Yuuya directly, and his chest was still angry with him for moving around so much, but he had to know why the boy was hospitalized, both to satisfy his curiosity and to know Yuuya was okay. He didn’t want to admit it, but he kind of liked the guy.

When no one seemed to notice that he had been at Yuuya’s door overhearing the conversation, Shingo relaxed a bit. He waited, first for his own nurse to bring him some more pain medication and then for the drugs to work. He ate breakfast and relaxed, all the while his mind reeled. 

An infection didn’t require an operation, right? Not unless it was drastic. But just how bad was Yuuya’s condition? Suddenly, eating made Shingo feel nauseous, particularly because he kept envisioning the worst scenarios. Never having been one to break any bones or become ill enough to require intense medical attention when he was younger, Shingo had very little knowledge about operations and their success rate. Frankly, he was scared, though he didn’t know why.

Being very well aware that Yuuya’s family and best friends came to visit him during the day, Shingo resisted the urge to invade Yuuya’s room until visiting hours were over. Plus, he had his own friends to entertain and a doctor to convince to keep him overnight.

After dinner, though, Shingo knocked on Yuuya’s door. When he heard the boy’s cheerful voice telling him to come in, Shingo took a deep breath and let himself inside.

“I was wondering where you were,” Yuuya said, goggles hiding his eyes. Despite the fact that he was always wearing them, Shingo never wondered about the reason.

“Oh, just practicing my game. Watch.”

Yuuya sat up and gave Shingo his full attention, while Shingo grinned and reached behind Yuuya’s ear. Mimicking Yuuya’s trick from the previous night, he pulled a single flower—a red chrysanthemum Shingo had taken from a vase full of colorful flowers that had been sent from his papa’s secretary—out of apparently thin air, bowed slightly, and held the flower for Yuuya to take.

“Suave,” Yuuya laughed softly, taking the chrysanthemum and smiling at Shingo. “I’m too good of a teacher,” he joked, the smile remaining despite Shingo’s lingering worry.

“I’m just that good,” Shingo answered, his words haughty yet hushed. An uncomfortable silence fell around them. Yuuya didn’t seem to notice, but if he did, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he turned his head and stared at the window, the faint glow of the setting sun peeking through the pale curtains and washing Yuuya’s body in a heavenly glow. 

Shingo didn’t like the silence, though, so he reached forward and cupped one of Yuuya’s cheeks, turning Yuuya’s head back to look at Shingo. Then, Shingo moved his free hand to Yuuya’s other cheek, mirroring the first. Yuuya’s skin was warm and soft, his mouth opened slightly as if about to ask a question. But if he were going to question Shingo’s action, the words were washed away when Shingo’s hands slowly ran up Yuuya’s face. Fingers slipped under the band of the goggles and gently lifted them off Yuuya’s eyes. They fell onto the bed beside Yuuya, the boy not flinching despite his mask having been removed.

His eyes remained closed, however, but Shingo refused to move away. Instead, he ran his thumbs along Yuuya’s cheekbones, softly, as if afraid he’d hurt Yuuya. Time fluttered, and Yuuya finally open his eyes slowly, almost afraid to do so. Shingo frowned slightly, his vibrant gaze meeting Yuuya’s clouded one.

“I’m legally blind,” Yuuya explained as he placed the flower onto his lap and moved his hands to Shingo’s wrists. “I have a corneal dystrophy. It’s a fancy way to explain why my eyes look like this.” 

He pulled Shingo’s hands away from his face and looked away again, trying his best not to sound nervous. But Shingo could see his quivering shoulders, could feel his hands shake, could hear the tremble as he spoke.

“You’re scared.”

“Am not!” Yuuya pouted and turned to Shingo.

“It’s okay. I would be too.” And even if he wasn’t the one going into the operating room, Shingo was still scared.

Yuuya sighed, a smile replacing the pout. “Fine, you’re right. But I’m not scared of the operation.”

“Oh? You afraid nothing will change?”

“Sort of.” Yuuya gave Shingo a slight yank, motioning Shingo to sit on the bed beside him. “I’m afraid it won’t work, yeah, but I’m also afraid about what happens if it does work.”

“You get to see my beautiful face clearly,” Shingo said proudly.

“Now I’m really scared,” Yuuya teased. He laughed when Shingo growled and muttered a curse, but continued to explain. “But that’s the thing,” he said softly, laughter still present in his speech. “I can’t remember the last time I saw everything clearly. I’m so used not seeing anything anymore.” He shrugged. “Seems like a drastic change.”

Shingo had no idea what Yuuya was talking about, but he knew Yuuya could handle it. “It’ll work out just fine. But you might not be able to stop staring at my face.”

“Doubtful.”

The two boys laughed. When Shingo got up to leave, Yuuya refused to let go of his wrist. Yuuya begged him to stay, if only for an hour, and Shingo agreed, telling himself to let Yuuya rest for his operation the next day. But he stayed for an hour, and Yuuya taught him how to handle flowers properly.

xxx

The nurse was in Shingo’s room much earlier than she had ever been in the last few days. When Shingo grumbled a good morning, she replied by telling him that he was being discharged.

“But I’m still injured!”

“It’s been a few days, Shingo. Your fracture will heal with time. We will provide you with a prescription, but we can’t keep you here any longer. The hospital needs these rooms for other patients.”

Shingo would have reminded the nurse that _he_ was a patient, but he was too busy trying to think of a way to see Yuuya before his operation. Forcing himself to keep his mouth shut, Shingo followed the nurse to the reception desk and checked himself out. When he had his belongings and his prescription, he asked one of the ladies about the patient in the room next to his and was told he was still receiving visitors. Mentally cheering, Shingo thanked the lady and made his way to Yuuya’s room, waiting outside and down the hall so as not to disturb any of Yuuya’s friends or family.

A few minutes of waiting, and a familiar voice surprised Shingo. “They won’t bite.”

“I know. But you don’t want a random stranger taking up all your time.”

“You’re not a stranger,” Yuuya corrected, offering Shingo a small smile. The nurse would be there to take him to the operating room soon, no doubt, but Yuuya had a look on his face that told Shingo something was up.

“What is it?”

Yuuya shrugged. “I figured you’re trustworthy now, so it’s okay to show you the real source of my power.” Shingo scoffed, but was surprised when Yuuya took his hand and placed a pendant on his palm. 

“It’s magical, so you have to take care of it for me, okay?”

Shingo eyed the pendulum in his palm, then looked at Yuuya. “Fine, but if you’re not back in a few hours, I’m stealing all your powers and your YouTube channel.”

The laugh that echoed in the hall made storms whirl inside Shingo’s stomach. He watched quietly as the nurse came to usher Yuuya to another room and pocketed the pendant. Even though he knew how a handful of Yuuya’s tricks were accomplished, Shingo was starting to think that Yuuya was truly magical. There was no other way to explain how enchanted Yuuya had left Shingo.

xxx

Although Shingo tried to visit Yuuya a few hours later, the doctors wouldn't let him in. Instead of wasting time--and giving himself white hairs--Shingo stopped at a bakery to pick up a few pieces of strawberry shortcake to share with Yuuya. He hoped that by the time he returned to the hospital, the doctors would finally give in. In a quick after thought, he grabbed some boxes of expensive chocolates, thinking that he could perhaps bribe some nurses to let him in sooner.

Once he arrived at the hospital, a fancy bag held tightly in his hand, he made his way toward Yuuya's room. Shingo memorized the location to find it quickly when he came back. 

Some of the staff gave him strange looks as he passed in long strides down the white corridor, but Shingo ignored them, noticing, instead, that his previous nurse walked into Yuuya’s room. She must have been assigned to Yuuya now. As he entered the room, he could see that she was about to kick him out and likely tell him only family can visit right for the time being. However, Shingo gave her his best smile and swiftly handed her one of the fancy chocolate boxes. He could tell he persuaded her when she told the redhead that the doctor would be with him in a little while and left Shingo alone with him.

"Hey."

"Hey..."

The awkward greeting soon became total silence. Both were at a loss for what words to say. There was a lot Shingo wanted to talk about, yet he couldn't say a single word other than _hey_. Neither were able to break the silence hanging over the room.

Yuuya's stomach began to protest at the lack of food in his system, effectively breaking  
the tension. Both simply started to laugh. Shingo moved closer to him and placed the fancy bag onto Yuuya's lap. The redhead gently grabbed his hand, happy that he came to visit him. However, he looked to the bag in curiosity.

Shingo pulled out two neatly wrapped plates, each with a piece of cake. Two forks soon followed. He unwrapped them both and placed one on a table stand nearby, trying to ignore how how Yuuya struggled to sit up straight to eat. Instead, Shingo took a small piece off the slice of cake and raised the fork to the redhead's mouth. 

A confused look crossed Yuuya’s face. The realization hit him fast that Shingo was trying to feed him.

"You don’t have to do this, you know."

"Just shut up and let me feed you, Yuuya." He brought the fork closer to the redhead's mouth, which reluctantly opened. The second bite was less reluctant. By the time half of the slice was missing, Yuuya opened his mouth every time the fork reached his mouth. Shingo couldn't help but keep going when he saw him enjoy the food he brought him.

It only took a few more minutes for both of them to finish their cake. Shingo even cleaned up the mess from the food himself, instead of making someone else do it. Yuuya was a little flushed afterwards, though Shingo couldn't pinpoint the cause.

"You thirsty?" He looked over to Yuuya. "I can get you something to drink from the vending machine if you like."

"Sure, that sounds good." Yuuya pulled onto Shingo’s hand. He seemed to be excited, but nervous at the same time. "I can't wait until I'm able to see. I hope you're one of the first things I see, Sawatari."

"Okay." Shingo grinned at him. "Don't become too jealous of my beautiful face when that day comes." Shingo resisted the urge to kiss Yuuya on the cheek and forced himself to let go of his hand. He walked out of the room in search of a vending machine.

xxx

"I'm terribly sorry, Yuuya… you are going to have to take the topical corticosteroids six times a day." Shingo heard the news through the half closed door. He didn't understand what that meant, but he figured that meant that Yuuya was in worse shape now. "We're going to have to keep you here longer to monitor your condition. You should be on the medication only for 6 to 8 weeks, but, over time, we will lower your dosage.”

It had been only a week after Yuuya’s operation, but both boys had already known that the doctor was going to remove Yuuya’s bandages to assess the progress of the operation any one of those days. Until that day came, Shingo often visited Yuuya, bringing with him either desserts or drinks or food to try to cheer up the redhead. What Shingo hadn’t expected was to find the doctor in Yuuya’s room so early in the morning, and with terrible news.

Just as Shingo was about to enter the room, Yuuya dashed past him without even looking back. Shingo nearly dropped his drinks, but moved into a run after him. He didn’t know what was going on exactly. In fact, he barely had time to register the doctor’s concerned voice as he called for Yuuya. But nothing mattered at the moment. The only thing that ran through his mind was finding Yuuya. But why did he care so much? What was it about Yuuya?

As he made it to the rooftop, the realization came to Shingo. He was undeniably enamored with Yuuya. This revelation only made Shingo run faster, until he finally reached Yuuya at the other side of the roof. Shingo grabbed Yuuya’s hand as if the boy were about to disappear any second. 

As Yuuya turned toward him, Shingo saw tears falling down the redhead's shocked face. Yuuya’s eyes were red, though Shingo wasn't sure if it was more from the crying or the surgery. He didn't ask any questions, though, and just pulled the now sobbing boy into his arms. 

Yuuya clenched tightly to Shingo’s back. Shingo could feel scratch marks begin to form, but he didn't mind. His fingers ran through the redhead's hair as his other hand started to rub Yuuya’s back. At first, Yuuya began to sob louder before, slowly, the sounds quieted. Once the cries completely dissolved to sniffles, Shingo kissed the top of Yuuya’s head and gently pulled away.

"I'll show you a real good trick, Yuuya." 

Yuuya was about to protest until he felt another pair of lips meet his. The moment Shingo broke the kiss, he pulled out a bouquet of lavender roses. The flowers were gently placed in Yuuya's hands, and Shingo silently watched as Yuuya discovered a box on the side of the bouquet. Yuuya gave Shingo a questioning look as he found the very same pendulum he had given Shingo last week once again in his hands.

"Why?"

"You need it more than I do right now. Besides, how else are you going to run your YouTube channel without your powers?" 

“That’s not what I meant,” Yuuya said with a pout, but all Shingo did was take the pendulum and place it back onto Yuuya’s neck. Then, Shingo leaned toward Yuuya, grabbed his hand, and started massaging it. 

"Like it or not, you're stuck with me, and I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

Yuuya smiled, content with the reply. "I'm certainly not letting you go off on me now. You haven't even taken me on a date yet."

"I fed you cake, Yuuya."

"But I want a real date, when I leave this place. Promise me, Sawa-” Yuuya stopped himself mid sentence to correct himself. “Please promise me, Shingo.”

Shingo smiled. "I promise you'll have the best date with the best man once you get out of here." In reality, it was Shingo who would be having the best day of his life, but Shingo wouldn’t voice that truth so soon.


End file.
